Rebound controller



May 26, 1925. 1,539,062

J. R. SNYDER REBOUND CONTROLLER Filed April 20. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J51 O enfo 1.

May 26, 1925. 1,539,062

J. R. SNYDER REBOUND CONTROLLER Filed April 20. -1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 the arrows and showing UNITED STATES PATENT FFHCE.

JACOB R. SNYDER, O'F CLEVELAND,

TRoLLna COMPANY, or

OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE STAR REBOUND OON- CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

REBOUND CONTROLLER.

Applieationfiled April 20, 1923.

To all whom it may con-cm:

Be it known that I, JACOB R. SNYDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county State of Ohio, have invented a cm and useful Improvement of Cuyahoga and tain new in Rebound Con trollers, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to rebound controllers or so-called snubbers adapted to be connected between relatively movable bodies, and particularly between the body and axle or running gear of a motor vehicle to check rebound movements of the body following the sudden compression of springs.

the main More particularly the present invention is an improvement over the construc stituting the subject matter of my plication Serial No. 548,923, filed tion conprior ap- April 3,

1922, the chief object being to improve the operation and the construction as well as to simplify and reduce the cost of struction.

the con- The invention may be briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel details of controller; Fig. 2 is a face view with arrangebe described in the pointed out in the appendv drawings wherein I have shown the preferred em.

Fig. 1 1s a vertithrough the rebound conparts removed looking at one part of the casing and certain parts normally enclosed Fig. 3 is a similar tional parts including moved; Fig. 4 is a view therein view with certain addithe coil spring resubstantially the same as Fig. 8 but showing a slight modification; Fig. 5 is a side bmed spring support and which is adapted to engage the view of the comfriction member rotatable drum; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the same; and Fig. 7 1s a view substantially along the line sectional 77 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction indicated by of the casing.

additionally, a part The present rebound controller or snubber is of the general type of that illustrated in my prior application referred to, in the respect that it includes a frictionally resisted rotatable drum adapted to rotat e about a Serial No. 633,508.

center bolt by which the device may be secured in place on the chassis frame or other member, a flexible member orbelt which is coiled on the drum and adapted to be connected to the axle (assuming that the device is used on a vehicle, for which it is particularly adapted), a coil spring, which also surrounds the center bolt, a casing which encloses the parts referred to, and certain auxiliary parts such as an exteriorly adjustable spring by which the pressure of the friction members on'opposite sides of the drum may be adjusted. The drum is retated both when the belt is unwound from it, i. e. during the rebound stroke, and when the belt is again wound onto the drum during the compression stroke of the main spring, and to bring this about the outer end. of this spring may be, and preferably is connected to the innerend of the belt.

I will now describe the detailed construction of the rebound controller, pointing out the novel features or present improvements which are set forth in the appended claims.

The center bolt referred to, is shown at 10, this bolt extending centrally through the casing and projecting of, the projecting part on one side being adapted to receive any suitable fitting by which the device maybe attached to the member which is adapted to carry it, which member is generally the chassis frame of a vehicle.

Olamped against a shoulder 10 of the center bolt by a nut 11 is a cup-shaped part orhalf 12 of the casing. the casing which is also cup-shaped and telescopes with the part 12 is shown at 13; The middle part of the casing member 12 is concaved or tapered inwardly forming a space to receive the nut 11, the conical face being indicated at 12.

Inside the casing and rotatable about an enlarged part 10 of the center bolt, is the drum 14:, which drum is preferably formed of oil impregnated wood so as to be selflubricating as in my prior application. The drum on one side has a concave face which bears against the inwardly concave face 12 of the cup 12, the latter constituting one of the friction members for the drum.

Bearing against the opposite side of the drum 1 1 is a second friction member 15. While the drum engaging portion of this member is in the form of a disk, other The other part of portions formed integral with it perform additional functions to be referred to. It will be observed that the member 15 has an integral annular hub portion 15 which surrounds the center bolt, and that the end of the hub portion is bent inwardly as shown at 15" in substantial conformity with the portion of the center bolt which is flattened so that the member will be held from turning, it being understood that both friction members which engage opposite sides of the drum are stationary. The inturned part 15 of the member 15 forms a relatively short bearing on the center bolt vhich allows a slight rocking movement to permit the drum engaging portion of the member 15 to at all times accommodate it self to the face of the drum.

It will be observed also that the central opening 1% of the drum is' tapered, and that the drum engages the center bolt only at or adjacent one side thereof. This improvementallows the drum to accommodate itself to the tapered face 12 of the cup 1:2, so that whatever irregularities there may be in the assembly are compensated for, both the drum 1 1 and friction member 15 being susceptible of whatever slight rocking motions are necessary to maintain the firm engagement between the rotatable drum and the two non-rotating friction members on opposite sides of it.

The member 15 has between the annular hub portion designated 15 and the inturned bearing portion 15", an annular shoulder 15 forming a bearing and support for the central or middle part of the cup 13 oft-he casing, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 and Fig.7.

At the side of the drum, and between the friction member 15 and the cup 13 is a coil spring 16, which is preferably formed of fiat steel as in my prior application. In conmotion with this spring the hub portion of the member 15 performs two additional functions. One of these functions is that of a spring collar, which in my prior construction was taken care of by a separate piece, and to that end the hub portion 15 of the member 15 has an elongated opening 15 depressed in it to receive the inner end 16 of the spring. Still further, the hub portion 15 of this member has an outwardly depressed spring supporting portion 15 which is located adjacent the depression 15 and supports the innermost convolution of the spring adjacent the inturned end 16 and thus prevents the spring being broken at this point as it short-1y would be in actual practice if it were left unsupported.

It will be seen, therefore, that the member 15 serves as a friction disk for the drum, as a spring collar for the spring, as a supportfor the cup 13, and as a support for the innermost convolution of the spring.

As in my prior application, the frictional resistance between the drum and the stationary friction members on opposite sides of it is produced by a cup-shaped spring arranged exteriorly of the casing and capable of being adjusted to increase or decrease the resistance to rotation. This spring, which is shown at 17, bears against the casing member 13 so as to press it and the friction member 15 inwardly against the drum, and the latter against the face 12 of the casing member 12. This spring 17 is supported by a adjustable screw 18 engaging in a threaded opening in the end of the center bolt and adjustable to vary the pressure produced by the spring 17. A pointer or indiester 19 is pressed against the center part of the spring 17 by the head of the screw 18 and turns with the screw to serve as an indication of its tension or compression.

Coiled on the drum is a flexible connecting member preferably in the form of a belt 20 which extends out through an opening in the peripheral portions of the members 12 and 13 of the'casing, and is designed to be attached to the axle or running gear of the vehicle when the center bolt 10 is attached to the chassis. The inner end of the belt is preferably faced with metal, and if desired, the metal facings may consist of one strip 21 doubled upon itself, and if desired, that portion of the strip on the outer face of the belt may have guide flanges 21* for the outermost convolution or wrapping of the belt.

In my present construction as in my prior application, the coil spring, belt and drum are so arranged and associated that the drum is rotated in both directions, the drum being rotated in one direction as the belt is pulled out when the body and running gear move away from each other, or during the rebound stroke of the main springs, and being rotated in the reverse direction so as to wind in the belt by the spiral spring when the body and running gear approach each other, or during the compression stroke of the main springs. In my prior application the inner end of the belt is connected to the outer end of the spring, andthe spring keeps the. belt tight enough on the drum to prevent any slippage of the belt on the drum as the belt is wound onto the drum, as well as when it is unwound, this result being accomplished by a properly proportioning the strength of the coil spring and the friction of the friction members on the drum.

In the present instance a positive connection is provided between the belt and drum so as'to render slippage between the two impossible, and this feature constitutes one of the improvements of the present invention. However, as in the prior case, the outer end of the spiral spring is preferably connected to the inner end of the belt. This connec- .tion is preferably made as in my prior application by means of a swivel hook 252- having a laterally extending shank 22 extend ing across the periphery of the drum, and ireferably held in a. loop of the metal strip 21, which loop is preferably crimped into a groove of the shank as shown at 22" to prevent endwise movement of the shank. The hook proper, to which the end of the spring is connected, is located at the side of the drum so that it may swing inwardly and outwardly to accommodate itself to the varying size of the spring as the latter expends and contracts or is wound up.

The positive connection between the belt and drum may be obtained in several ways, two of which I have illustrated in the drawings. For example, in F 3 the belt is provided with the equivalent of dowel pins 23, which are carried by the metal enclosed inner part of the belt and project into radially disposed openings in the periphei of the drum. In Fig.4 the positive connection between the belt and drum is taken care or by providing a transverse groove 2 in the periphery of the drum and causing the shank 22 of the hook and the loop in the metal strip 18 to lie in this groove.

Thus it will be seen that I have simplified the construction and reduced the number of parts by forming in one piece the friction member, the spring collar, spring support and easing cup support; also that the bearing of the friction member 15 on the center bolt and the central opening in the drum are such that both the friction member 15 and the drum may accommodate themselves to irregularities which may exist if the axis of the center bolt 10 and the axis of the conical face 12, do not exactly coincide as is sometimes the case. Finally, it will be seen that though the out 1' end of the spring is attached to the inner end of the belt, these parts have a positive connection with the drum so as to prevent slippage ofthe belt thereon.

While I have shown the preferred embodiment or embodiments of my invention, I do not desire to be confined to the precise details shown, but aim in -my claims to cover all modifications which do not involve a departure from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a. rebound controller, a rotatable frictionally resisted drum, a belt coiled on the drum, a spring for keeping the belt taut and located at one side of the drum, the outer end of the spring being connected to the belt, and one of said parts having a positive connection with the drum.

2. In a device of the character described, a rotatable frictionally resisted drum, a belt wound on the drum and adapted to rotate the drum in one direction, and a spring for rotatingthe drum in the reverse direction and l cated atone'side of the drum, the spring and belt being connected together and the belt being connected to the drum.

3. In a device of the character described, a rotatably support drum a stationary center bolt therefor, a flexible connecting member wound on the'drum and adapted to rotate it in one direction, a spring for keeping the belt taut, and a friction member engaging the (rum, said friction member having a portion surrounding the bolt and constituting a support for the; spring.

4. In a device of the character described, a rotatable drum, a flexible connecting member coiled thereon, and adapted to rotate the drum in one direction, a spring at the side of the drum for keeping the belt taut, and a friction member engaging the side of the drum and located between the drum and spring and having a portion extending out wardly beyond the spring.

5. In a device of the character described, a rotatable drum, a flexible belt coiled thereon and adaptedto rotate the drum in one direction, a spring at the side of the drum for keeping thev belt taut, a frictionmember engaging the drum and having a portion extending outwardly beyond the spring, and means engaging said portion to cause pres sure betweenv said friction member and the drum.

6. In a device of the character described, a drum a stationary center bolt therefor, a flexible connecting member coiled on the drum and adapted to turn it in one direction as the connecting member is unwound, a spring for winding the connecting member on the drum, and a friction member engaging the side of the drum to oppose its rotation and having an integral hub which the spring surrounds and which in turn surrounds the center bolt.

7. In a device of the character described, a drum a stationary center bolt therefor, a flexible connecting member coiled on the drum and adapted to turn it in one direction as the connecting member is unwound, a spring for winding the connecting member on the drum, a friction member engaging the drum to oppose its rotation and having a hub portion surrounding the center bolt, and a casing member having a seat on said hub portion.

8. In a device of the character described, a drum a stationary center bolt therefor, a flexible connecting member coiled on the drum and adapted to turn it in one direction as the connecting member is unwound, a spring for winding the connecting member on the drum, and a friction member engaging the drum to oppose its rotation and having a hub which the spring surrounds, and to which its inner end is connected said hub surrounding the center bolt.

9. In a device of the character described,

a drum a stationary center bolt therefor, a flexible connecting member coiled onthe drum and adapted to turn it in one direction as the connecting member is unwound, a spring for Winding the connecting member on the drum, and a friction member engaging the drum to oppose its rotation and having a hub which the spring surrounds and which in turn surrounds the center bolt, said hub having an integral portion adapted to support the inner convolution of the spring adjacent the point Where it overlaps the inner end of the spring.

10. In a shock absorber, a center bolt, a drum rotatably supported on it, a thrust bearing member engaged by one side of the drum, a flexible connecting member coiled on the drum, a spring for keeping the same taut, the drum having aportion loosely surrounding the center bolt so as to permit the drum to have a Wobbling motion in maintaining contact With said thrust bearing. 7

11. In a device of the character described, a center bolt, a drum rotatably supported thereon, a thrust bearing and friction member engaging one side of said drum, a flex ible connecting member coiled on the drum, a spring associated with the connecting member and drum, the drum having a narrow bearing on the center bolt which enables a Wobbling or rocking of the drum to compensate for irregularities While main taining contact With said bearing and friction member.

12. In a device of the character described, a center bolt, a drum rotatably supported thereon, a flexible connecting member coiled on the drum, a spring for maintaining said flexible member taut, and a friction member having a hub With a short bearing on the center bolt to enable said friction member to rock or Wobble to compensate for irregularities.

18. In a device of the character described, a center bolt, a drum rotatably mounted thereon, afiexible connecting member coiled on the drum, means for maintaining the connecting member taut, a fixed thrust bearing engaging one side of the drum, a friction member engaging the opposite side of the drum, both said drum and said friction member having portions loosely surrounding the center bolt so as to permit of a rockmg or wobbling motion to maintaln the drum in contact with said thrust bearing and compensate for irregularities.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix my signature.

JACOB R. SNYDER. 

